Nyong’o never dreamed she would be the person selected for the publication’s 25th anniversary issue. “It was exciting and just a major, major compliment,” the 31-year-old Non-Stop star humbly admits. “And especially, I was happy for all the girls who would see me on [it] and feel a little more seen.” Born in Mexico and raised in Kenya, Nyong’o first equated beauty with what she saw on TV: “Light skin and long, flowing, straight hair,” she recalls. “Subconsciously you start to appreciate those things more than what you possess.” Luckily, Nyong’o says her mother, Dorothy, “always said I was beautiful. And I finally believed her at some point.” Now she says the best compliments are “when I have been called beautiful with not one drop of makeup on. And also before I comb my hair or put on a pretty dress.”
When it comes to beauty, Nyong’o says, “Happiness is the most important thing.”

When editorial director Jess Cagle revealed the magazine’s cover on Today, he explained why the staff chose the relative newcomer. “I fell in love with her right before the Oscars when she gave a speech at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood luncheon, and she spoke really frankly about…having felt unbeautiful when she was a girl. And she would pray for lighter skin. She spoke really openly about her journey to embracing the way that she looked, and then ultimately realizing that physical beauty is not what sustains you,” Cagle added. “I just love her.”

In a pre-taped interview with Savannah Guthrie, Nyong’o reiterated that the honor came as a surprise. “What an incredible journey to go from that feeling to being on the cover of this magazine. I mean, you could have never told me that that would happen when I was 16 and insecure about my complexion,” the Yale School of Drama graduate said. “I hope it means something to more than just me, to people like me who feel unbeautiful in whatever skin they’re in.”

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